Replacement
by ArwenLalaith
Summary: Tag to 'Jones'. Trying to fit in and be accepted is never easy, especially when you have big shoes to fill... Co-written with Confetti Leaves.


When Morgan returned from the back of the jet with their coffee, he noticed Emily was still deep in her thoughts. She might have had her nose in their case file, but he could tell that her mind was clearly somewhere else. He settled close beside her on the couch after setting their coffee down and took the file from her hands.

"What are you doing?" she tried to glare at him, but it came out as a grimace instead.

"You're troubled..."

"That obvious, huh?"

He reached out for her hand, gently stroking her knuckles with his thumb. "Tell me what's going on with you," he murmured.

She shook her head. "It's nothing. I'm fine, I'll get over it."

"Don't lie to me," he said gently, "I want to help you."

"I don't want to burden you with my problems..."

He sighed and pulled her close. "Baby, when are you going to learn that you're not a burden to me? I'm your boyfriend, I'm supposed to be there for you when you need me."

"I'm sorry," she sighed, leaning into kiss him, "I'm just not very good at opening up..."

"We'll keep working that," he smiled, "So, what's on your mind?"

"I think I might have done something to annoy Reid..." she whispered, guilt bleeding into her voice, "I don't know what, but he seems to be really mad at me. He wasn't like that when I first joined the team."

"Em, it's not just you," he assured, "We've all noticed that he's had a rather short fuse lately, since Tobias..."

"It _is _just me," she insisted, "He's always snapping at me – and _only _me – over nothing. Don't tell me you haven't noticed that."

"I have noticed it, but that doesn't mean it's because of anything you did," he reasoned, "He's just trying to adjust to his life since Henkel."

She shook her head. "I'm sure he'd be here if you were the one who called him. Could it be that he's mad at me for replacing Agent Greenaway? Garcia told me they were pretty close... I'm sure he wouldn't have snapped at her, like he did with me."

"Garcia's right, they were pretty close, but this has got _nothing_ to do with you," he insisted. "He knew when Elle left that someone had to take her place, it's part of the job. Trust me, something's going on with Reid and it's _not_ your fault," he said, kissing her forehead. "You just happen to be the one he's taking it out on... I'm sorry."

She sighed heavily, leaning against him. "This sucks. I try so hard to fit in..." She shrugged. "I don't know... I guess I just don't."

He pulled away from her slightly to look in her eyes. "Emily, listen to me," he said seriously, "You do fit in; you're part of the team, you belong. Don't ever forget that. You can't let Reid get to you – trust me, he just doesn't know how to deal with his personal demons, so he's taking it out on you. It's nothing you did and as long as you just don't take it to heart, he'll work through it and come to realize that he hurt you. He'll come around, I promise."

"Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly, "Because I don't think..."

"Trust me." He kissed her gently. "I've known Reid a long time and I'm sure he'd never be mean just for the sake of being mean; he just doesn't know that it's hurting you. Just give it time."

She hugged him tightly, burying her face against his neck. "How do you always know the right thing to say?"

"Because I'm good," he joked, kissing her temple. He pulled back and smiled, "I actually have something that might cheer you up... I got you something at the airport earlier."

She struggled not to grin foolishly. "Baby, you didn't have to... What's the occasion?"

"I don't need an occasion to buy my beautiful girlfriend something nice," he grinned. "What planet do you live on?"

She laughed, elbowing him in the ribs gently, then kissing his cheek. "You're too good to me. What is it?"

"Close your eyes," he instructed, "No peeking." She obligingly shut her eyes, her face set in a loving, yet exasperated look at the secrecy, such as one might give to an overly energetic child. He set the gift in her hands, smiling expectantly, awaiting her reaction. "Alright, open them."

She slowly, almost hesitantly, opened one eye, then the other. She stared at the object quizzically for a moment as if trying to make sense of it. "Don't take this the wrong way..." she said, "But... Why did you get me this?"

For a moment, a crestfallen look crossed his face, but he quickly tried to conceal it. "You don't like it?" he asked, sounding a little hurt, "I thought it was kinda cute and maybe it would remind you of me..."

"No, no, I like it," she insisted, then bit her lip struggling for the right words, "I just... I don't understand..."

Morgan nodded and shrugged. "I know a palm-sized stuffed panda bear isn't something someone would usually give to a grown woman, but I do have something in common with the panda..."

"You're fluffy and like to eat bamboo?" she teased, laughing warmly.

"Ha ha. Very funny, Em." He looked at her seriously, "I'm half black and half white like the panda. I bought this because it's small enough to keep in your carry-on bag. You can hold this when we can't be together."

Emily smiled tenderly and leaned in to kiss him. "Thank you – that's so sweet of you. I promise, I'll have it with me every case we go on."

"You'd better," he said with false seriousness, smiling into the kiss. "Actually, there's another reason I want you to have it," he said after a moment, "But it's kind of lame..."

"Tell me," she pressed, nudging him gently, "I'm sure it's not as lame as you think."

For a moment, his bit his lip and studied her as if debating whether to tell her, then sighed in concession. "You know how bears are supposed to be strong and protective... I know how hard a lot of the cases are and how much it sucks going through it alone...and I also know I can't always be there when things are tough and I just thought maybe this guy could be there to protect you when I can't..." He seemed to brace himself, preparing for her to laugh.

But her reaction was nearly the opposite. Struggling not to tear up, she breathed, "Oh, Derek, this is so..." But the rest of her sentence was lost as she got too choked up to speak.

"Hey, hey," he murmured, pulling her close to his chest, "Don't cry. I told you, pretty girls aren't made for crying."

"I'm sorry," she sniffled, "This is just the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me."

He kissed her forehead tenderly, whispering in her ear, "You're worth it, Em. I'll always protect you...like how mother bears protect their cubs. I'll never let anyone hurt you."

"I know you'll always be there," she smiled, holding the bear close to her heart, "Even when you're not."

"So, should we give his guy a name? How about Peter the Panda?" he suggested, laughing.

She gave a small smile, thankful for the purposeful lightening of the mood. "Peter is a terrible name for a bear," she said seriously, rolling her eyes as if it should have been obvious. She maintained the facade for a moment before laughing, letting him know she was only joking. "I think his name should be Kilgore Trout."

He smiled fondly at the memory. "I don't know..." he shrugged, "He just doesn't seem like a Kilgore Trout to me. He's supposed to be my substitute – he needs a name that screams awesome, don't you think?" He smirked.

She raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "Wow...talking to Garcia has really done a number on your ego – I'm surprised the plane managed to take off under the weight of your swelled head." She laughed, flashing him a cheeky smile. "Well, what do you suggest that would be suitably 'awesome'?"

He paused to seriously consider, then his face lit up as he seemed to have struck upon the answer. "What about Elvis?"

She gave him an affronted look as if he had just uttered blasphemy. "Are you comparing yourself to The King?"

"Maybe," he grinned smugly, then frowned, "What? You don't think your boyfriend is as good as The King?"

She frowned, considering, then shrugged, "I don't know..." She smirked playfully. "_He_ could sing... And he was definitely better at rocking the Bejeweled look."

He put his hand over his heart, pretending to be pained by her words. "Ouch. That hurt. Besides, the Bejeweled look is kind of a thing of the past, isn't it? And I thought you liked me in leather..."

"That's true...but not as much as I like getting you out of your leather," she winked, smiling suggestively.

He smirked. "Now I can't wait to get you home..."

"Patience is a virtue, baby," she laughed, then looked down at the bear again and changed the subject, "I think Elvis is a good name for a bear."

"I agree," he leaned into kiss her, grinning, "I'm glad you like it."

"I love it," she murmured, wrapping her arms around him to deepen the kiss, "I like having a part of you with me all the time."

Morgan hummed into the kiss. "I like that too. Now, are you serious about the whole 'patience is a virtue' thing? You know, we're the only ones on the jet..." he murmured, kissing her harder.

"You know we shouldn't..." Emily tried to resist him, pulling back from the kiss.

"Why not?" he asked, pulling her closer, pressing kisses down her neck. "We're all alone and we'll be alone for a couple more hours..." He worked up his most adorable puppy dog eyes and cutest pout, knowing that she was almost never able to deny him when he had that look. "Come on, I missed you. It's been days since I had you all to myself..."


End file.
